


Pool

by Cobalt Greywalker (The_Fenspace_Collective)



Series: Working the Forge [1]
Category: Fenspace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-24
Updated: 2010-07-24
Packaged: 2018-01-01 05:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fenspace_Collective/pseuds/Cobalt%20Greywalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>June 3, 2014: Rest and relaxation at one of Fenspace's great houses of mad science.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pool

Tuesday 3rd June 2014, Sample analysis lab, Prometheus Forge

When entering the lair of a mad scientist, one should take a measure of care. Greenpeace just strode in without stopping, having the advantages of bravery beyond mere mortals (being an occasional mad gardener herself) and knowing that A.C. wasn't working on anything dangerous or needing constant attention. The woman herself was bent over and looking into something similar to what you would imagine was the result of a head on crash between a medical equipment manufacturer and a hiccupping glassblowers anonymous convention. This did allow the green-skinned woman to drape herself sensuously over the cyborg cyberneticist's back and reach round to start undoing the buttons of her lab coat.

"You're done for the day." Greenpeace said, interrupting A.C. before she spoke. "You're coming with me to do something fun, as you've spent far too long in the Lab lately."

"Uh-huh." A.C. replied, ignoring the accidently-on-purpose grope of her breasts the pixy on her back performed. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise!" Greenpeace said brightly, finally opening the lab coat to reveal the simple halter-style leather bodysuit the raven-hared cyborg had put on this morning.

"Your LAST surprise involved one and a half metric tonnes of ice cream, 200 litres of chocolate syrup, and the Sailor Moon marathon." A.C. noted.

"This is better!" Greenpeace insisted, trying to pull the lab coat off. "And it was all diet anyway."

A.C. had to at least acknowledge that as true, coconut milk being lacking in much fat. Sighing, A.C. closed down the sample examination and let herself be dragged through the Forge towards the new section. She raised an eyebrow when she spotted the new room, and raised the other when the doors opened onto a tropical paradise.

Then the humidity hit.

"You built a swimming pool." A.C. said tonelessly.

Greenpeace just smiled wider and moved A.C. over to changing booths in the corner. Sighing, the emerald-eyed woman went ahead and changed. Coming out forced a groan of disappointment from the green-skinned pixy.

"Told you." Lebia snarked.

For the most part, the one-piece was almost fantastically modest for the beautiful cyber-bioroid. It covered the torso and neck near completely. However, there were two details that changed that. First, the suit included a thong-cut bottom and left her shoulders completely uncovered. Second, it was literally moulded to her form like a second skin.

"Having fun with the bio-plastic?" A.C. asked, half teasing half curious as she stretched and tested the fit and support of the suit.

"Soo hate you." Greenpeace muttered, watching. A.C. grinned, hearing it.

"Let's see the new physiotherapy pool then." The owner of the asteroid wandered over to look at the new construction.

It wasn't really atypical of the breed, being mainly a 25 by 10 metre pool for the most part. And it wasn't alone, with a Jacuzzi bath and a paddling pool to one side. About the only difference was the lack of a chlorine smell and blue tone to the water.

"How are you recycling the water?" A.C. asked, looking around more carefully. Ah, there it was, artfully hidden behind some flowering bushes and palm trees; the glass panels and door to the zero-g pool.

"High efficiency filtration through several of the plants around here. Now I've got Ki growing properly her xylem helped with the water transportation." Greenpeace shrugged in her silver string bikini. "Are you getting in or do I have to push you?"

The cyberneticist shot the gardener a look that said clearly 'Are you STUPID?'

"As you seem to be suffering an inexplicable attack of amnesia, I think we should take a nice walk to Medical."

Greenpeace rolled her eyes.

"Have you even TRIED?" The personification of photosynthesis asked in annoyance.

"Should I?" A.C. retorted. "I'm far too physically dense to float."

"That's logic talking." Greenpeace said. "When has LOGIC mattered to the Wave?"

"Point to Greenpeace." Lebia said where she was laid back on a sun bed in a strapless one-piece and sunglasses.

"You want to join me?" A.C. asked in an even tone. "It'd be a nice experiment, except I happen to KNOW you won't float."

"I looked up the designs for Noah Scott's order." Lebia said, unruffled. "It was a simple job to fit myself with floatation devices."

Her builder went through everything she knew about Lebia's construction (which was everything), tied it into what she knew was available (which was a lot), and thought through the additions.

"Andy's cracked the projective superhydrophobic effect." A.C. stated deadpan. "If I had to guess, using a semi-conductive ultra-low density foam."

"2.437 seconds. Libbie wins that bet." Lebia didn't move, enjoying the artificial sun.

***

By the time Greenpeace had cajoled A.C. into the shallow end of the pool the others had arrived. Kasumi was wearing a slightly more modest white string bikini, Roberta and Fawn in simple one-pieces, and Adonis in nothing at all (It spoke for how fast the later two women had acclimatised to Adonis that they didn't even blink at his totally revealed physique).

"Go on." Greenpeace encouraged, unphased by A.C.'s dark looks.

A.C. didn't say anything, but walked towards the deep end. The waterline climbed up her body (the cyber-bioroid noting the depth of feeling she was getting through the bio-plastic swimsuit) until she had to hold her breath and disappeared under the slight ripples of the pool's surface. Finally she stopped walking at the lowest point of the pool, a full four metres down. To add insult to injury, the raven-hared woman sank into an easy lotus position.

~ Well, this doesn't help. ~ She noted, holding her breath without problem. After 5 minutes, she heard the splash of someone diving in.

Fawn swam down to the sitting cyborg and signed a query. Raising an eyebrow about where Fawn had learned sign language, A.C. signed back that she was perfectly fine. The talented assistant nodded and swam back to the surface.

After 10 minutes A.C. finally got bored and decided on a whim to try to swim.

And to her complete surprise, swim she did.

It was slow at first, remembering his rusty swimming skills, but as she rapidly refreshed her physical memory of swimming she sped up.

***

"See!" Greenpeace said. "I told you!"

"Yeah yeah." Lebia mock-grumbled.

"Mistress Attim is speeding up." Roberta noted. "She has just exceeded the current world record 100 metre breaststroke time."

"EH?" The rest wondered.

***

Scything through the water started to become easy, so A.C. pushed her self. She quickly realised that her speed was far in excess of any human, then as she continued to push she exceeded anything currently verifiably manmade. Finally she reached her limit, bouncing pack and forth between the ends of the pool at less than half a second between ends. With a bit of pressure, she slowed herself down to a stop.

She was floating in the water. Or rather, she was neutrally buoyant and neither rising or sinking.

She thought about this, and then noted she sank. The implication was clear, as long as she thought about swimming, she could swim. Otherwise...

Finally she started to feel short of breath, so with a burst of speed she aimed for the surface.

***

With a mighty splash, A.C. shot out of the water to land on the side of the pool. Taking several deep breaths she set herself and with a shiver nothing but an enticing layer of droplets remained on her body. Even her hair was merely damp.

"That was an interesting experiment." The cybernetic cyberneticist said to no-one in particular, before turning to the crowd. "Looks like we were both right Greenpeace." She told the green-skinned bioroid. "Which means I've got some work to do to get the rest of you up to speed." She smiled. "After some down time."

***

<Journal 98/C6

Day 6 - Mon 9 June 2014

Damn, I never realised just how many things we did last year. Anyway...

I've gone over Andy's work, and dedicated some of Leonard's runtime to working out the physics. As it is, I've got Andy working on manufacturing equipment. Once we've got that, I figure Fred will be able to secure the usual documentation and we can sell this.

After testing with a spare body, upgrading Kasumi and Andy had a few problems in positional placement and field geometry. At least I got to practice some of my VERY rusty lifesaving lessons. Given the fact they don't need to breath there was no CPR, which was disappointing. That I could keep them afloat was interesting. Not sure about how as of yet, the scans of the incidents are not conclusive. I hate to write it off as 'Wave weirdness, given I seem to have better aqua-dynamics than the others. Still getting about 80 knots out of everyone, apparently without the supercavitation I'd expect. Electromagnetic Fluidics Control seems unlikely, sensors would pick the field effect up. I'm guessing something similar on another force-system. More work.

It's not like I don't have enough other things to worry about.

Effective foam volume to displacement and field nodal design have gone well (Andy being a dear in that regard), so I figure I can offer some upgrades. That ought to go down well (or not, as the case may be). Teaching them to swim on the other hand...well, I doubt it'll be in person as with Kasumi and Andy. Swimming skillsoft time I think.

Lebia's attempt at a skillsoft when she attempted to swim was...poor. Given the way poor old Roberta looked, I figure she got a download from Lebia. Funny how they turned to Kasumi and Fawn to teach them. It's not like Andy and I wouldn't be perfect gentlemen. So to speak in my case. And Greenpeace has that half pout where she didn't get what she REALLY wanted (probably re-teaching me to swim, pixy that she is).

Now all I have to do is stop the jolly green fairy from showing me swimsuits...

Update: I hate it when I overlook things. It's a water-specific speed drive field. I just didn't recognise the other effects immediately because of the low power. And because of that low power the field is piggy-backing the skin sensor channels and forming an aura, essentially warping the liquid over the subject in a near frictionless way. Pressure is another thing entirely, so no hopes of cheap and light underwater survival capsules. It also won't work with air or other gasses without them being essentially plasma. So it's liquids or solar probes.

Humm. Making a note on a possible Europa probe...

Journal Entry ends.>


End file.
